The Chain
by SpiritualPuzzleshipper
Summary: ONE-SHOT! Yugi returns home after the Ceremonial Duel, broken, hurt, upset. What happens when he is reminded of Atemu's presence in everything he sees? PUZZLESHIPPING! Not quite Yaoi but close!


As the plane took off I looked out the window one last time, I felt tears form in my eyes, I knew I would never come back. "Eh, Yugi. You okay?" Tristan asked me. I turned and looked at him and he had a look of concern in his eyes.

I nodded. "I'll be okay. Thanks for asking." I smiled softly, but still the tears formed in the corner of my eyes.

"We all miss him." Tea said to me, she sat next to me on the plane, while Joey and Tristan were just across the aisle. Grandpa was in front of with Duke, sounded like they both fell asleep.

"Yeah, but Tea." Joey spoke after he took a drink of his soda. "Yugi and Atemu, they had a bond, one we could never understand." He looked at me and smiled. "It'll take time. But if ya need me buddy, I'm right here."

I nodded. Those words meant a lot to me. "Thank you Joey." I looked back out the window and watch as the sands of Egypt disappeared. The pain it brought me, the heart ache of never telling him all that needed to be said, that will forever be my greatest regret. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning back against my seat. The tears finally fell but I didn't care, I needed sleep and so I allowed it to come.

I woke to us landing. We were home, back in Japan. "Finally!" Tristan said while stretching. "I need to get off this plane." We all waited till we were able to get up, I was the last one, I waited till everybody else got off. This is a first for me. I had just gotten on this plane a couple days ago and he was with me, now he wasn't. Oh gosh, the tears, they're coming back.

"Yugi." Tea spoke softly. "It's time to go home."

I nodded. "I can't get up." I bit my lip, closed my eyes, and hold back the tears. I can't let her see me cry again.

"Come on my boy." I heard my grandpa say. I open my eyes and see his hand in front of me. "Let's get you home." He's smiling, I feel comfort from that smile. He is the reason I met Atemu, he gave me the puzzle after all. What grandpa didn't know is that by solving that puzzle, meeting Atemu, I fell in love with him. But that's all in the past. I nod and take his hand, I'm able to stand. "Thanks grandpa." I said as we walked out. I see everyone else waiting once I am off the plane. My feet touch the ground and the feeling of dread fills me. So many faces are smiling at me, yet I am the loneliest I ever have been.

"Come on Yugi." Grandpa gives me a gentle push on my back, I refuse to move, but with his touch I do.

"Are we all taking a taxi home?" Tea asks.

Grandpa nods. "Yes, I'll pay for you all. Me and Yugi will go on our own. I need to get him home, he needs time." I feel his arm go around my shoulders as we walk, he's comforting me. Why does he know what I need? I'm so glad to have him.

Joey nodded. "No problem. Yugi please know if you need anything, to let us know okay?"

Tristan smiled and gave a thumbs up. That's the last thing I ever saw Atemu do. I close my eyes tight. " _Why Tristan?_ " I open them just to hear him say, "We're here for ya."

"You bet." Tea smiled down at me. She seems more at peace than I thought she would. She almost ran after him, Joey stopped her though. It took everything in my power to keep my feet still, if I had ran after him, no one would've been able to stop me. But I didn't, I knew he wouldn't want me to give up my life so early, just for him. But I would've, if he would have asked me to go with him, I would have.

I bite my lip again. I really don't want to say what's on my mind. I want to scream at them, tell them they can't help me. I love them, I really do. But this pain, it's unbearable, my chest hurts so much

"Let's get going." Grandpa guides me outside, my friends follow behind us. We get taxis to take us home, one for me and grandpa, another for them. We say our goodbyes and Joey said he will see me tomorrow. I really don't want company but I just nod at him as he gets in the taxi.

* * *

In the taxi I stare out the window, I notice so many familiar sites. Being gone for just a few days and yet they feel like I haven't seen them in a long time. " _Am I feeling what Atemu is?_ " I wonder to myself. " _Who am I kidding? He's dead!_ " I scream to myself. That word is like a knife to my heart. " _Dead, dead, dead_." I say it a few more times, trying to make reality of it. Though I knew he was from the beginning, to have him not in front me, or in my mind, makes it true. I see my school and stare up at the ceiling. Oh so many talks up there with him, about anything and everything. The last talk we had up there was just the day before we left for Egypt. I told him I would be okay on my own and to not worry about me. I was more upset that he worried so much and that we were piecing his memories together just as I pieced the puzzle together. He told me he would never forget about me, that all the memories he had made, the best ones were of me. He felt alone for over three thousand years and by meeting me, that all went away. I bow my head and fight back the tears, I told him I would be okay, but I sure don't feel okay. I guess I didn't realize how lonely I would feel once it happened.

Grandpa put his hand on my leg and I look up at him. "It's okay Yugi. You can cry in front of me." He tapped it, but not once did he look at me.

I look out the window again and notice the way we are taking. It's the same way me and Atemu took every day, back and forth from school. Those days when it was just me walking home, but I wasn't alone, he was there. I catch my breath when I see the corner store. He asked me to stop there sometimes and get him a candy bar. I chuckled remembering his smile as he would eat it. " _His favorite was strawberry Meiji._ " He never asked for anything so I loved buying it for him. I watch the store pass by, realizing I will probably never step foot in there again. Other than home and school, any place that reminded me of Atemu, won't be on my to go list for a long time.

The taxi pulls up in front of our store. I get out and look at it, it's so dark, it doesn't feel homey anymore. Every time I came home from school, the park, or from a friend's house, I always felt welcomed. But now I feel like I shouldn't be here. I swallow the lump in my throat and walk over to the trunk of the taxi, I grab my bags and walk to the door where grandpa is already unlocking it. I walk in and feel a cold chill that causes me to shudder. I guess grandpa saw it. He put his hand on my shoulder. "Yugi I meant what I said to your friends. You will need time to heal." He smiled at me sadly. "I don't know what you're going through, but I do know what it's like to lose a loved one."

I nod and smile at him. He is talking about grandma, though I was really little and hardly remember her, I remember how much grandpa cried after she died. I remember him going to her grave daily for about a year. But he eventually went less, he still visits, but he knows that she wouldn't want him to stop living. "I know grandpa. I don't mean to come off so sad and depressed. I promised him I would be okay, I guess I broke that promise."

He nodded. "No Yugi. You are keeping it. I would be more worried if you didn't feel sad or hurt. If you didn't cry, I would probably get a therapist for you." He chuckled. "You need to go through this pain before you are able to be happy again."

I fight the tears again. "Grandpa." I clench my hands into fists. "I loved him." He is the first person I ever told.

I feel his arms go around me as he pulls me into a hug. "I know you did." He whispers into my ear.

Shock fills me, my eyes got big and I wrap my arms around him tight. "I loved him so much grandpa!" I begin to cry hard. "The worst part about it all is that I never told him!" I bury my face in his neck and cry just as much as I did when he left. Grandpa just rubbed my back and held me tight, he allowed me to cry, he didn't say a word. He just comforted me while I poured out all my feelings to him.

After a few minutes in the dark game shop, light only coming in from the front door. He pulled me away from him, his hands rested on my shoulders. "I'm sorry you never got to tell him." He smiled and I look at him as the tears still fall from my eyes. "That was the most selfless thing you ever did, not telling him. I am almost certain if you said anything, he would have stayed."

I nodded. "That wouldn't have been fair to him." I wipe my eyes and face. "I think I'm going to go upstairs, I'm tired."

"It's all that crying. You get as much rest as you need." He patted my shoulders and then went and turned on the light for the staircase that led up to our home. I picked up my bag that I dropped when grandpa hugged me and walked up the stairs.

* * *

When I got upstairs and stopped in front of my door, I looked at that knob, Atemu was the last person to touch it. He said he needed to leave the house, not me. I didn't know what he meant, but I got it now. He wanted to say goodbye in his own way. "Dammit!" I groaned and reached for the knob, his fingerprints gone from it now. I twist it and push the door open. I close my eyes before I can see anything, fear is creeping up on me. I can't bare to look at my room, but I have to. I walk into the room, closing the door behind me. Once I knew that I was fully in my room, I slowly open my eyes. I look around and see my made bed, I see my desk with a couple papers and a book on it, and my lamp of course. I see my closet, the door open cause I got dressed really quick before I left. I see the games peeking out from the corner of my dresser, the last game I played with Atemu was on top of the pile, it was scrabble. "You actually were bad at that game." I spoke out loud, getting my hopes up that he would respond. But he didn't. I look around my room again with sad eyes, everything is the same, nothing has changed. Yet I have changed, I am no longer the same as before I left. My whole world here never changed while I was gone. But inside my body, inside my mind, inside my heart, it's all different. I reach for my chest, placing my hands over my heart and grasping my shirt tightly. The tears begin to fall from my eyes. I fall to my knees, I can't keep it in anymore. " **PHARAOH!** " I scream at the top of my lungs. "Don't leave me!" I choke out. I curl up into a ball on the floor, finally content with saying the words I wanted to say back in Egypt. But they fall on deaf ears, on dead ears.

* * *

I woke up on my floor, it's morning. I look around and remember where I am. "Right." I sighed and stood up. Taking my jacket off I walk out of my room and down to the kitchen, I stop when I hear Joey's voice.

"Why can't we see him?" He asked.

I hear grandpa sighed. "Because Joey, right now Yugi is healing. He needs to be alone."

"But isn't that the worst thing for him right now?" Tristan asked.

"No." Grandpa snapped. "He hasn't been alone for over three years. The Pharaoh was in his mind and body. They both were connected closer than a married couple could ever be. He needs to be alone, so he can get used to it. Everything is reminding him of Atemu, including you three."

Joey sighed. "Okay fine. But I don't like it."

"I'm sorry." Grandpa sighed as well. "I need Yugi to not feel bad when he cries at the sight of a bowl because he remembers Atemu eating cereal out of it."

Tristan couldn't hold back a laugh, I smiled as well. " _Grandpa's right, I will probably do that._ "

"Time for us to go." I hear Tea say. "Tell Yugi we stopped by and that when he is ready, we are here for him. No judging at all."

I hear grandpa close the door and I walk the rest of the way to the kitchen. "Good morning grandpa." I smile slightly.

"Oh good morning Yugi." He said as he noticed me. "How did you sleep?"

"I fell asleep on the floor." I sighed as I got a cup out, making sure to grab Atemu's favorite. I poured some coffee in it and sighed. "Did you hear me last night?"

He nodded. "Yes. Did it help you at all?" He asked me, frowning.

"Yeah, a little. I know he didn't hear me, but it's nice to have said what I wanted to. No longer bottling it in." I take a sip of the coffee, warm but not too hot. Just the way I like it.

"What are your plans for today?"

I shake my head and swallow another drink. "I am going to unpack my bags and probably clean my room. Too many memories that I need to lock away." I respond and take another drink.

"Yugi." Grandpa begins to say but I stop him.

"No grandpa. I mean I need to box it in a real box and hold onto them. To make sure he never dies in here." I point to my head and smile. "I need to remember him, physically."

Grandpa smiled and nodded. "I understand."

"Uhm." I put the empty cup down and walk over to him. "Do you have any gloves I could borrow?" I didn't tell him, but there was a couple items that only Atemu touched that I refused to touch till I could make sure his prints stayed on them. " _I'm going crazy._ "

Nodding grandpa pointed to the draw next to the stove. "In there." He got himself a cup of coffee and sat down. He began to read the newspaper like he always did ever morning.

"Thanks." I grabbed the gloves out of the drawer and began to leave the kitchen. "Also thanks for saying that to Joey and them. It meant a lot to me." I smiled looking at him.

"I only spoke the truth. They won't understand your tears right now." He didn't look up at me as he continued to read, but I knew he was right. They would try to bring back good memories and right now any memory good or not, would just be painful to think about right now. I nodded and ran down to my room, putting the gloves on. Tackling the second hardest thing I ever did, saying goodbye again, to Atemu.

* * *

After a couple hours, I had boxed up and thrown away a lot of stuff. I didn't mean for this to be a clean my entire room thing. But I do recall Atemu telling me a couple times that I needed to do it. Who knew I would do it after he was gone. Smiling I look at the box that was marked with his name on it. Inside it contained our favorite game to play with each other, Checkers. It was the only game we could play and not cheat at with sharing a body. I saw his moves and he told me what to do. Also inside it was two books I bought him, one was about Egypt and the other was a romance novel. " _He never came off as a romantic guy._ " I nod my head. The box also had his favorite shirt, his deck belt, and his deck. I couldn't dare use it ever again, it wasn't mine to keep. The box next to it was trash, I had a lot of trash. All that's left is to unpack and so I went over to my bag that laid on my bed and unzipped it. The bag held my clothes but before, it had all the millennium items in it. I opened it and began to pull out all the clothes, I threw most of them in my dirty pile, but then I picked up a black shirt, I didn't wear this one at all. "Pharaoh." I sighed and brought it to my face, inhaling deeply. "It smells just like you." " _Not weird at all Yugi_." I closed my eyes and shook my head, tossing the shirt to the box with his stuff in it. "I don't have the heart to wash it." I dug through the bag and before I knew it, it was empty. I tossed the bag to the corner of my closet and heard a rattle. "What?" I say out loud staring at it. I walk over to the bag and bent down. I look inside but see nothing so I pick it up and shake it slightly. It rattles again, I look for a pocket and find one inside. " _I don't remember this._ " I think to myself as I go to unzip the small pocket. As I do I see it. "No." I refuse to believe it. I thought I left that in Egypt, in his tomb. I reach for it, the coldness, though shocking, was very soothing. I pull it out of my bag and stare at the item in my hand. What I thought I lost, was tucked away for me to find later. I get onto both my knees and begin to cry. "This, this isn't fair." I say through sobs. "You promised me forever!" I cry out. I pull the cold metal closer to me, what I held tightly in my hands was the chain that held the puzzle close to me, the chain that was to keep the puzzle safe. "You promised me." I sob. " _I don't know why this hurts so much._ " I feel heaviness over my shoulders, I assume grandpa had walked into my room, he probably heard me scream.

" _ **It'll get better.**_ " I hear his voice say, but it was deeper, younger, more calming. I snap my head up and look around. No one's there. "Atemu?" I ask out loud.

" _ **I promise you. I will always be here. Through that chain, we are connected. In your heart, is where I'll always be.**_ " I feel something touch my lips, but I don't pull away, I know it's him. I don't see him anymore, but as I clench tightly onto the chain, I know he is there. For this chain was strong enough to hold the puzzle not just around my neck, but close to my heart, where my feelings for Atemu will never die, even though he has. The pressure is gone, he's left me, again. "I love you." Is all I have left to say.


End file.
